The identity of the team representing the East Midlands in the women’s regional structure of cricket has been revealed as ‘The Blaze’.
Formerly known as ‘Lightning’, The Blaze are primarily based at Trent Bridge and recently commenced their professional and Academy training programmes at the historic Nottingham venue.
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“There is definitely an extra bit of excitement that comes with training, and being based at, Trent Bridge,” said fast bowler Sophie Munro.
“There is a sense of a fresh start, being somewhere new, wearing new kit and having a new name, but we’ve got a good bond as a group having been together for a while, and that has made the transition pretty straightforward.
“Whilst we have some hard work still to do over the winter, we’re intent on starting positively when the season does arrive.
“The Blaze name itself was a popular choice among the squad, right from when we first found out that the move to Nottingham was on the cards.
“It’s great that we, as players, were consulted on it, and that we can represent a brand which, from the start of the process, we helped to establish.”
The newly branded team will contest the 20-over Charlotte Edwards Cup and 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, with matches set to take place in neighbouring East Midlands counties as well as in Nottinghamshire.
The team’s training wear - revealed as part of today’s launch - and playing kit will be manufactured by adidas.
“We’re really aware of the iconic nature of this stadium and we are inspired by everything it offers,” said The Blaze’s Director of Cricket, James Cutt.
“We see it as our new home, and it’s really beneficial for us being able to interact with the Nottinghamshire players, coaches and support staff – and hopefully the way we do things can have an impact on the men’s game as well.
“Everybody at the venue has been really welcoming towards us and really inclusive, the training spaces are of a high quality and the pure cricket nature of the venue is something that our squads are absolutely buying into.
“We want to produce cricketers locally from across the East Midlands region and we want to attract players to come and represent The Blaze from elsewhere in the country as well. We believe that being at Trent Bridge can only help both of those facets to develop.”
The latest news, photography and information regarding The Blaze can be found by visiting the blaze.cricket webpage, with the senior and academy squads set to be named in the coming weeks.
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Representing the East Midlands within the elite structure for the women’s game, we are quite frankly delighted to introduce The Blaze.
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